


Other Side of the Fence

by TallDarkandNerdy



Series: Sappy Childhood AU [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Fluff, Fluffy goofballs, Gen, M/M, Special appearance by Kise's Mama, This is what I do with my life now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 16:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4443974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TallDarkandNerdy/pseuds/TallDarkandNerdy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yukio was seven years old when he met a hyperactive ball of energy. It wasn’t on purpose, of course. If he knew that he was going to have a headache for the rest of the day, he would never have tried climbing his neighbor’s fence to retrieve the baseball he accidentally threw over. He would have left it to rot underneath the shockingly pink petunias, convinced his father to get a replacement, and been done with it. </p><p>But that would have been too easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Other Side of the Fence

Yukio was seven years old when he met a hyperactive ball of energy. It wasn’t on purpose, of course. If he knew that he was going to have a headache for the rest of the day (and, he might joke to himself, the rest of his life), he would never have tried climbing his neighbor’s fence to retrieve the baseball he accidentally threw over. He would have left it to rot underneath the shockingly pink petunias, convinced his father to get a replacement, and been done with it.

But that would have been too easy.

So there he was, grunting as he scrambled over the fence, hoping that whoever lived on the other side did not have a dog. A mean, loud dog with sharp teeth and sharper claws…maybe he’d be lucky, and his new neighbors would have a tiny Chihuahua, or a cat. He liked cats. They didn’t chase him down the street or growl at him as he walked with his mother to the bus stop.

He had just seated himself on top of the fence, feeling rather proud that he made it this far without being caught by an adult, when he glanced down and saw the mop of blond hair. 

“HIYA!”

Yukio gasped, not expecting the sudden guest, and clung to the fence post to keep from falling over. The unexpected visitor merely laughed, and craned his head back to get a better look. “Wow, you’re clumsy!” 

The dark-haired boy huffed at that, and scowled down at him while he steadied himself. “I am not!” So far, this retrieval mission was not going according to plan. The last thing Yukio wanted was to be found by some chatty runt who would rat him out at a moment’s notice. He shifted his eyes, checking to see if an adult was coming their way, before snapping, “Why don’t you get out of here?”

The younger boy tilted his head in confusion, and replied, “But this is my yard! Mama told me I should be out here, since it’s not raining or anything!” He looked around to make sure that, yep, it was his brand new backyard, and grinned back up at Yukio. “What are you doing up there anyway? Are you trying to sneak in? Are you my new neighbor? How old are you? I’m five and three quarters, but I’ll be turning six soon and—“

Yukio shook his head, determined to keep him from continuing his ramble. Feeling a headache creeping in, he rubbed his temple before asking, “What’s your name, kid?”

The “kid” beamed up at him, and pointed a thumb to himself. “I’m Ryouta! My Mama calls me Ryou-Ryou, but I don’t really like that name.“ He was just about to delve into what he considered suitable nicknames when Yukio quickly interrupted.

“Well, _Ryou-Ryou_ , I’m just here to get back the baseball I threw over. The sooner I get it, the sooner I’ll be out of your yard.” The quiet _and get you out of my hair_ was left unspoken as he began to climb down the fence. 

Ryouta harrumphed indignantly at the nickname, but he didn’t let it stop him from smiling and bringing out the hand he held behind his back. “You mean this ball?” he asked, tossing the very familiar baseball between his hands and looking up innocently. “I found it underneath Mama’s flower garden, but I didn’t know it was _yours_.”

Yukio paused, and looked down carefully. Hmph…maybe this kid wasn’t so bad after all. “Yeah, well. Thanks. Can I have it back now?” He held out a hand, the other one keeping him safely perched on the fence.

“Ahh, but who says it’s still yours?” Ryouta’s innocent smile twisted into a knowing smirk, the kind that cats wear when they find an unsuspecting mouse. “It was in _my_ yard! Maybe it’s mine now!” 

“Why you little—“ Yukio flared his nostrils angrily—what kind of five year old was he dealing with?—and tried to reach down and snatch it from the brat. “Don’t you dare! That’s mine and you know it!” 

Ryouta stepped back quickly, and giggled. “If you want it, you’re gunna have to get it!” He gripped the baseball tightly in his tiny little fingers, and bolted away.

Yukio gaped at the fleeing figure for a few seconds, but threw all caution to the wind and swung himself off the fence. He stumbled when his feet hit the ground, but gave himself little time to recover before chasing after Ryouta. He furiously ran after the younger boy, who had no trouble skipping over plants and weaving through the yard to evade him. The little brat even taunted him by stopping and waiting until he was _just_ close enough before continuing his wild sprint. 

But as annoyed as he was initially, Yukio couldn’t help running a little faster after Ryouta, couldn’t resist the breathless laughs when he swung around a tree to surprise the blonde. Before he realized it, he was focusing less on getting his baseball back and more on trying to win their game of tag.

He lost focus entirely when he tripped over a protruding tree root and tumbled to the ground. 

Shock was the first emotion to flood his senses as he lay on the lawn, arms reflexively splayed under him to prevent getting a mouthful of grass. He couldn’t hear anything over the sound of his own pulse thrashing in his ears, not even the surprised gasp of Ryouta a few yards ahead of him. Once his mind caught up with his body, however, tears immediately sprung to his face at the realization of the fall and the sharp throb of pain from his left knee. His body, once frozen from the fall, quaked when he tried to sit up.

Ryouta watched nervously from the other side of the yard, and sprinted back to assess the damage. “I’m sorry,” he exclaimed, and knelt down next to him. He was beginning to panic, and wrung his hands together. “I-I just wanted someone to play with, and you didn’t seem mean and…I’m sorry!”

Yukio sniffled, and pulled his pants leg up to examine the damage. The sight of his bloodied knee made him sob, and he shook his head. He didn’t want to be here, to look this weak in front of someone two years younger than him. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mom. He wanted her to wrap her long arms around him and kiss him, telling him it was going to be all right and that he was very brave for taking such a fall. 

The last thing he expected was soft pair of lips on his own.

With a watery sputter, Yukio pushed Ryouta hard enough to make him stumble backwards. “ _Hey_! What…what was _that for?!”_

The younger boy stared back at him with wide, golden eyes; it looked like he was going to burst into tears himself. “Mama s-says that kisses take the pain away! I wanted to help…” He trailed off, and fidgeted nervously with the sleeve of his shirt.

Yukio stared incredulously at the quivering blond, then hung his head and prodded  his oozing scrape. “It doesn’t work like that. Kisses only work if they’re from your family,” he muttered, refusing to look anywhere except the cut that wasn’t hurting anymore. It only gave an uncomfortable throb every few seconds, which was a thankful distraction from the chatty blond.

…The chatty blond who wasn’t talking.

He lifted his head up, and found that he was alone. He looked around for the other, suddenly feeling self-conscious about sitting by himself in someone else’s back yard. He guessed that the smaller boy got upset by his remark or bored that his new “friend” couldn’t play anymore, or something. He didn’t blame him, though. He was still a child, and had a lot to learn. Like to not kiss strangers on the mouths when he first meets them.

He blushed in spite of himself, and was just beginning to stand up and go home with what little dignity he had left when Ryouta bolted out of the screened backdoor, hands holding a plastic bag of cookies and two juice boxes. A woman walked out behind him, blonde hair tied up in a messy bun and hands holding a first-aid kit.

Ryouta seemed to notice his attempt to leave, and dashed across the yard even faster with a panicked expression on his face. “Where’re you going?!” He looked down at the scrape, and reached out to make the other sit down again. “It’ll hurt a lot if we don’t fix it!”

“It’s alright, Ryou-Ryou,” the woman called out as she walked closer to the two boys. Her voice was soft, and had a light trill that reminded Yukio of his own mother. When she reached them, she smiled warmly and knelt down in front of Yukio. “So you’re the little daredevil who climbed our fence,” she said amusedly, her eyes twinkling like her son’s when he caught him red-handed. Yukio looked down in shame and began to stutter a series of apologies, but stopped when the woman laughed good-naturedly. “You don’t have to be sorry! Everyone climbs a few fences once in a while.”

“Really?” Ryouta asked in disbelief, and glanced over at the fence curiously. “So I can—“

“No.” She ignored the disappointed whine and began cleaning Yukio’s wound with a wipe from the kit. He winced slightly when the cut stung, but tried hard to keep up a brave face in front of them. He couldn’t just break down into tears again, especially in front of a lady. Ryouta noticed his discomfort, though, and stuffed the bag under one arm before reaching out to take his hand. Yukio hesitantly squeezed it whenever the medicine irritated his scrape.

When she finished bandaging his knee, she wiped her hands on the front of her pants and sat back on her haunches to inspect her handiwork. “There, you’ll be right as rain now,” she reassured, and gave him a shining smile that made his cheeks turn pink in a mix of embarrassment and appreciation. Her smile faded a bit when she glanced over at Ryouta, and nodded her head towards him. “What do you have to say, Ryou-Ryou?" 

Ryouta squeaked, but took a deep breath before looking over shyly at Yukio. “I’m sorry I teased you and made you get hurt.”

Yukio pressed his lips together, but shrugged and replied, “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have climbed the fence. And maybe I was mean before, so…I’m sorry, too.”

Ryouta brightened up in a matter of seconds, and dropped the snacks to throw his arms over his new best friend’s neck. Yukio sputtered in surprise at the ambush, and was just ready to plead for Ryouta’s mother to save him when the blonde drew back. “But…I don’t know your name!” he exclaimed, and tilted his head expectantly.

“Oh—” Now that he thought about it, he really hadn’t bothered introducing himself to either one of his new neighbors. Feeling suddenly ashamed of his previously rude behavior, Yukio quickly repeated what he was always taught to say for introductions, “I’m Kasamatsu Yukio. It’s nice to meet you.”

Ryouta repeated the name quietly, then beamed and patted his shoulder. “Nice to meet you too, Yukiocchi!~” Not noticing Yukio’s shocked expression from his prescribed nickname, Ryouta bounced on his heels and smiled sweetly at his mother. “Could Yukiocchi stay for lunch, Mama? Pleaaaaase?” he pleaded, drawing out his words and throwing on a pair of puppy eyes.

She laughed, and ruffled his hair. “It’s fine with me, if it’s fine with your new friend!”

Before they could say anything else, Yukio quickly interrupted. “I don’t mind,” he said, but glanced at the fence. “But can I ask my mother?” He could only imagine how his mother would react if she looked for him and realized that he was no longer in their backyard. After all, what Yukio meant to be a two-minute retrieval morphed into a fifteen-minute adventure.

Ryouta’s mother hummed in approval. “Such a responsible young man,” she cooed, delighted by his bashful blush, then asked, “Why don’t I give her a call instead? I’ll tell her what happened, and I’ll walk you home if she wants you to return.” When he nodded, she stood up and gave them a pat on the head before walking back to the house. Ryouta gave a quiet sigh of relief and knelt down to pick up the juice boxes and cookies. After a day like this, both boys surely deserved to relax under the trees and enjoy a sugary treat.

Between a sip of juice minutes later, Ryouta leaned back against the tree trunk and asked, “So…wanna see a cool bird’s nest I found?”

Yukio paused mid-chew, and swallowed before raising an eyebrow. “Sure,” he agreed slowly. He gave himself a moment to appreciate Ryouta’s pleased smile, then added, “As soon as you give me my ball first.”

* * *

The next day, Yukio spied Ryouta walking up his driveway with a baseball bat and a Tupperware bin of strawberry slices.

He had his ball and mitt ready by the time the doorbell rang.

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo, after ages of not writing fan fiction, I decide to restart by doing what anyone would: create a sappy childhood AU with two incredibly dorky corn muffins that became way more involved than I expected it to be. Just what I figured would happen!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! It was definitely an adventure writing these two for the first time, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it!


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